Rose Mary Grant of Barringon wrote, "My family and I dined at Wilcox Tavern in Charlestown while on vacation last week and loved the Steak Bruschetta appetizer. We were hopeful that the chef might share the recipe. Thank you."

Gail Ciampa Journal Food Editor gailciampa

From the archives: This hearty Chef's Secret appeared in the Providence Journal on Sept. 28, 2011.

Rose Mary Grant of Barringon wrote, "My family and I dined at Wilcox Tavern in Charlestown while on vacation last week and loved the Steak Bruschetta appetizer. We were hopeful that the chef might share the recipe. Thank you."

The Wilcox Tavern was thrilled to share this recipe from chef Jamie Grider. Once summer is over, things get pretty quiet down in Charlestown, so they were happy to offer up the multi-step recipe.

The dining is fine but casual in this historic 1730 tavern, which has been owned by the same family for two generations. Dr. and Mrs. Sculco were both raised in Rhode Island and live out of state but continue to operate the business.

The tavern at 5153 Old Post Rd., on Route 1, has four unique dining areas and a lounge. The menu has both traditional New England fare with plenty of seafood and dishes as modern as Grilled Steak Bruschetta on the extensive menu. They serve dinner from 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at this time of year.

Learn more about the historic location and view the menu at WilcoxTavern.com.

Caramelized Onions

1 tablespoon butter

2 sweet onions, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons water

Heat the butter in a pan over med-high heat, add onions and season with salt and pepper. Do not stir the onions for the first 15 minutes.

As onions start to brown, stir and add water to deglaze the pan. Repeat last step until the onions are deep golden brown.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Gorgonzola Cream

1 tablespoon shallots, minced

1/4 cup white wine

16 ounces of heavy cream

8 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauté the shallots over low heat until clear. Add white wine and reduce sauce until syrupy. Add the heavy cream and reduce until thick and coats the spoon. Fold in the gorgonzola cheese and season with black pepper.

Grilled Steak Bruschetta

4 4-ounce beef tenderloin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Italian loaf of bread

4 tablespoons Garlic Butter (see recipe)

1 pound Caramelized Onions (see recipe)

2 cups Gorgonzola Cream (see recipe)

2 ounces of baby arugula

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat grill.

Season steaks well with salt and black pepper. Grill steaks until desired doneness, about 8 minutes for medium. Allow steaks to rest for 2 minutes before slicing.

Cut the Italian bread in half lengthwise and rub with the garlic butter. Grill the bread until charred and crusty.

Top the grilled bread with the sliced steak, caramelized onions and gorgonzola cream. Dress the baby arugula with the olive oil and kosher salt. Place on top of the bruschetta.